5 critically acclaimed Prime Video movies to watch this week (July 20-26)

Credit: Lucas Oliveira de Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Jul 20, 2026, 10:15 AM EDT As an entertainment enthusiast, Keeley is a streaming content author and expert at How-To Geek with over a decade's experience writing about film and television. Her focus is on streaming content lists and guides. Keeley also writes film and television reviews, recaps, features, and lists for Loud and Clear Reviews, and she writes streaming content features for Pocket-Lint. Her reviews are featured on Rotten Tomatoes, and she also has bylines at Collider and Fansided Entertainment's Show Snob and Bam Smack Pow divisions. If she's not in front of the TV, dissecting content with her husband, you can just wait one minute—she'll be right back. Sign in to your How-To Geek account This week on Amazon Prime Video, we’re exploring five critically acclaimed movies that resonate far beyond the screen with their blend of powerful storytelling, standout performances, and superb direction. From survival-driven ingenuity, unflinching intensity, and a deeply human exploration of justice to artistic obsession and chaotic excess, each of these movies captures lightning in a bottle. In honor of Matt Damon's newest theatrical release, our top movie pick this week is one that features the Oscar-winning screenwriter playing an astronaut. 5 Dead Man Walking Provocative crime drama inspired by a true story Dead Man Walking hits close to home for me. The 1995 movie is inspired by the true story of the relationship between Sister Helen Prejean, spiritual advisor to South Louisiana death row inmates, and convicted murderer Robert Lee Willie. It's personal to me because Willie confessed to killing the father of my brother-in-law during a 1970s killing spree in South Louisiana, but he later recanted in court. Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Jack Black, and Peter Sarsgaard star in this Tim Robbins-directed film. As the execution date of death row inmate Matthew Poncelet (Penn) draws near, he calls upon Sister Prejean (Sarandon) to help him with one last appeal, firmly maintaining his innocence in the murder of a young couple. As Prejean and Poncelet begin to form a bond, she visits his family and the relatives of the victims in hopes of learning more about the case. As things take a bleak turn, the nun does all she can to comfort the hardened criminal. Widely praised for its nuanced and empathetic look at capital punishment, forgiveness, and redemption, Dead Man Walking earned a 97% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and four Oscar nominations, with Sarandon winning Best Actress. Dead Man Walking Release Date February 2, 1996 Cast Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry, R. Lee Ermey, Celia Weston, Lois Smith, Scott Wilson Director Tim Robbins Writers Helen Prejean, Tim Robbins Main Genre Drama Bose QuietComfort Wireless Headphones $229 $359 Save $130 The Bose QuietComfort Headphones feature excellent active noise cancelation, adjustable EQ, up to 24 hours of battery life, and custom listening modes 4 The Wolf of Wall Street A hilarious thrill ride of deceit and excess Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Martin Scorsese’s 2013 dark comedy The Wolf of Wall Street. The biographical true-crime movie chronicles the rise and fall of corrupt stockbroker Jordan Belfort, who defrauded investors of hundreds of millions of dollars. Matthew McConaughey, Margot Robbie, Jonah Hill, Jon Favreau, and Jon Bernthal also star. In 1987, Jordan Belfort (DiCaprio) takes an entry-level job at a Wall Street brokerage firm. By the early 1990s, while still in his 20s, he started the firm Stratton Oakmont. Together with his trusted lieutenant and a merry band of brokers, Belfort makes a fortune by defrauding wealthy investors. However, while he and his cronies partake in a hedonistic lifestyle full of thrills, the SEC and the FBI close in on his empire of excess. The movie’s immersive, high-energy filmmaking brilliantly forces us to confront the absurd moral behavior and unchecked excess of 1990s Wall Street. Thanks to its bold, satirical takedown of financial greed, Scorsese’s dynamic direction, and DiCaprio’s fearless performance, The Wolf of Wall Street was nominated for five Academy Awards. For more of Belfort’s story, check out the official documentary. The Wolf of Wall Street Release Date December 25, 2013 Cast Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumley, Cristin Milioti, Christine Ebersole, Shea Whigham, Katarina Čas, P.J. Byrne, Kenneth Choi, Brian Sacca, Henry Zebrowski, Ethan Suplee, Barry Rothbart, Jake Hoffman, Mackenzie Meehan, Bo Dietl, Jon Spinogatti, Aya Cash Runtime 180 minutes Director Martin Scorsese Writers Terence Winter, Jordan Belfort Producers Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joey McFarland Main Genre Drama Budget $100 million Studio(s) Paramount Pictures Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures Executive Producer(s) Alexandra Milchan, Danny Dimbort, Georgia Kacandes, Irwin Winkler, Rick Yorn 3 Capote A riveting true–crime story In Capote, the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a staggering award-winning performance as novelist Truman Capote. The legendary actor completely transformed his voice and mannerisms to portray the author as he feverishly writes his landmark true crime novel In Cold Blood. Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., and Chris Cooper also star. In 1959, the brutal murder of a family in Kansas catches the attention of eccentric New Yorker writer Truman Capote. Intrigued by the case, he travels there alongside his childhood friend Harper Lee (Keener), then uses his wit and charm to gain the trust of town locals as well as lead investigator Alvin Dewey (Cooper). Once the killers are caught, Capote develops an intimate, macabre relationship with them. Motivated by his need for a sensational conclusion, he manipulates the defendants and the legal process—promising support, influencing counsel, and helping to delay appeals—to achieve what he considers to be the perfect ending for his novel. While the movie is not a true biopic of the author, it is a study of the events that impacted his work and pushed him into trading his humanity for a story—a conflict he never saw coming or truly recovered from. It holds an overwhelmingly positive approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metascore of 88, indicating universal acclaim for its measured, patient pacing and its stark, moody cinematography. Capote Release Date September 30, 2005 Cast Allie Mickelson, Kelci Stephenson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Craig Archibald, Bronwen Coleman, Kate Shindle Runtime 110 minutes Director Bennett Miller Main Genre Biography 2 Platoon An epic anti-war film from Oliver Stone Platoon, the epic anti-war film that won four Academy Awards and two BAFTAs, is one of the most jarring, critically acclaimed movies to come out of the 1980s. Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker, Keith David, and John C. McGinley star. Chris Taylor (Sheen) is a neophyte recruit in Vietnam whose idealism vanishes when he finds himself caught in a battle of wills between two sergeants, one he perceives as morally grounded and the other as corrupt. He quickly discovers that he must engage in war not only with the Viet Cong but also with the gnawing fear, physical exhaustion, and intense anger welling up inside of him. The semi-autobiographical film sparked significant backlash upon its release because of its depiction of American war crimes, challenge of pro-war propaganda, internal moral collapse, breakdown of military leadership, and more. Widely regarded as exceptional, critics often praise Platoon as one of the most honest and authentic depictions of the Vietnam War, as is evidenced by its stellar Rotten Tomatoes reviews and plethora of awards. The realism displayed in the battle sequences and the performances of Sheen, Dafoe, and Berenger make it a must-see. Platoon Release Date December 19, 1986 Cast Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Kevin Dillon, Forest Whitaker, Mark Moses, Keith David, Richard Edson, Francesco Quinn, John C. McGinley, Johnny Depp, Reggie Johnson, David Neidorf, Chris Pedersen, Tony Todd, Corkey Ford, Corey Glover, Bob Orwig, Kevin Eshelman, James Terry McIlvain, J. Adam Glover, Ivan Kane, Paul Sanchez, Dale Dye, Peter Hicks Runtime 120 minutes Director Oliver Stone Writers Oliver Stone Producers Arnold Kopelson, A. Kitman Ho Main Genre War Executive Producer(s) Derek Gibson, John Daly 1 The Martian Matt Damon gets stranded on Mars Before what is poised to be his career-best performance in The Odyssey, Matt Damon received an Oscar nomination for his performance in The Martian. The 2015 sci-fi adventure by Ridley Scott depicts a lone astronaut’s struggle to survive on Mars. Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, and Michael Peña also star. When a crew of astronauts depart from Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Damon), who is presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a small amount of supplies at his disposal, Watney must depend on his wits and spirit to survive on the hostile planet. Back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission. The Martian saw massive critical and commercial success, garnering two Golden Globe Awards and seven Academy Award nominations. It is widely celebrated for relying on mostly plausible science and engineering rather than pure fantasy to solve monumental problems with basic chemistry, botany, and, of course, duct tape. Never leave home without it. The film uniquely blends hard science facts with a survivalist narrative that celebrates human ingenuity, teamwork, and the triumph of the human spirit. The Martian Release Date September 30, 2015 Cast Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover, Nick Mohammed, Chen Shu, Eddy Ko Hung, Enzo Cilenti, Jonathan Aris, Gruffudd Glyn, Geoffrey Thomas, Yang Haiwen, Narantsogt Tsogtsaikhan, Brian Caspe, Szonja Oroszlán, Mark O'Neal Runtime 141 minutes Director Ridley Scott Writers Drew Goddard Producers Mark Huffam, Michael Schaefer, Simon Kinberg Budget 108 million Studio(s) 20th Century Distributor(s) 20th Century A lasting impression Together, these movies highlight how critically acclaimed cinema not only entertains but also leaves a lasting impression. They remind us that the most impactful productions don’t just tell great stories. They challenge and provoke us to think deeper, feel more, and see the world from a different perspective. For more on Prime Video, check out its complete July lineup. Subscription with ads Yes, via Prime membership or $9/month Simultaneous streams 3 Live TV No Price Included with Amazon Prime subscription ($15/month or $139/year) or $9/month standalone